The following is a chapter from an upcoming memoir on moving to and living in Germany. Read more here.
It started out like so many pivotal scenes from a psychological thriller. The dim festival lighting, the crowds of unwitting drinkers enjoying themselves, the spitting rain on a chilly September night. Then, out of the shadows, the creepily cheery voice of a man who knows something you don’t.
“Hello.”
I was at a craft beer festival in Düsseldorf with my friend Chris at the time. We had just debated heading out for some food, having had more than our fair share of brews over the past three or so hours.
“Let’s go back to that one brewery with the guy from Tennessee and talk to him before we go,” suggested Chris. “He seemed like a cool guy.”
![[press trip w/ @deinnrw] Hiking around @dasbergische, my group was led to a surprise visit with Günter Blömer. I’d also been listening to @nickofferman’s first two audiobooks at the time and seeing Blömer in his shop was like an incarnation of Offerman’s words, leaving me with a renewed appreciation for people who make things with their own two hands. Link in the bio for his story and more on his work. — Do you make anything? What’s your hobby?](http://scontent-amt2-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/3e14a0b8c14e58a72202fd0628615027/5D6269D5/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/s640x640/58453562_1153455478192791_2090930276060433831_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-amt2-1.cdninstagram.com "[press trip w/ @deinnrw] Hiking around @dasbergische, my group was led to a surprise visit with Günter Blömer. I’d also been listening to @nickofferman’s first two audiobooks at the time and seeing Blömer in his shop was like an incarnation of Offerman’s words, leaving me with a renewed appreciation for people who make things with their own two hands. Link in the bio for his story and more on his work. — Do you make anything? What’s your hobby?")
![[Press trip with @visit.dortmund] I traveled to Dortmund for the @hopfenseidank Beer Festival and came away with a story of a historic German brewery given new life, @bergmannbier. Link in the bio.](http://scontent-amt2-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/70cc6125fa415c6f9d1d64bf5d50c9be/5D703880/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c135.0.809.809a/s640x640/60065866_2905482182825930_7442891913070838575_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-amt2-1.cdninstagram.com "[Press trip with @visit.dortmund] I traveled to Dortmund for the @hopfenseidank Beer Festival and came away with a story of a historic German brewery given new life, @bergmannbier. Link in the bio.")
